


you need only say so, love

by violetstorm



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Hanahaki Disease, Kissing, Love Confessions, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, noct makes an appearance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-29
Updated: 2019-05-29
Packaged: 2020-03-27 16:18:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19016425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/violetstorm/pseuds/violetstorm
Summary: Ignis has the hanahaki disease. He's been coughing up gladiolus flowers for months.Prompto gives him the push he needs to confess.(Sequel toyour name tastes like honey, like blood)





	you need only say so, love

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is a direction continuation to my previous fic [your name tastes like honey, like blood](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18473371). Don't need to read the original to understand what's going on, but it's recommended!
> 
> it's finally here! the sequel so many people wanted! aha,,, it was supposed to be posted a lot sooner but funny thing, right as I finished posting the original, I noticed that I was developing a sore throat.... and in the morning, it hurt like hell and turned into a headache + fever + coughing that left me bedridden for what, 6 days? it's like god saw what I was doing to Ignis and decided to pay me back for all the pain I put on him im soRRY IGNIS

This may have been the first time that Ignis willingly took time off his duties as advisor.

The citadel must be in shock, right now, believing as if hell has frozen over. Ignis doesn’t need to be there to see the incredulous looks everybody must certainly be wearing. _Scientia_ , calling in sick? It’s unheard of and yet here Ignis is, layered under a pile of blankets on his bed, shivering, coughing and surrounded by petals.

He’s been holed up in his apartment for days now, ever since he started coughing up _gladiolus_ flowers. Alone, with nothing but the gladiolus for company. Ignis huffs and perhaps he’d laugh, if his breaths didn’t turn into yet another coughing fit.

As if on cue, his phone buzzes and Ignis weakly reaches out to take a look at who is texting him. It’s noon, surely Noct couldn’t have gotten into trouble _this_ early in the day.

_Noctis [12:57]: specs ur still alive right?_

Ignis grimaces, agonizingly dragging himself into a sitting position to better respond to Noct.

_Yes, I am. Thank you for your concern, Highness. [12:59]_

_Noctis [12:59]: feeling any better?_ _  
_ _Noctis [1:00]: want me to come ovr?_

_Do you not have class at the moment? [1:01]_

_Noctis [1:02]: shh_ _  
_ _Noctis [1:02]: ok fine wht abt gladio? he’s doing nothing rn_

_No. [1:02]_ _  
_ _I’ll be fine, Noct. [1:03]_

He sets his phone down with a sense of finality, massaging his temple. This argument is all-too familiar. Noct means well, yes, but having to respond to his _are u dead_ texts every couple of hours is tiring, especially when looking at a screen gives him a headache.

Ignis clears his throat, trying to ignore the sting of pain that comes with that, and grasps at his desk for a cup of tea that has long since gone cold.

It’s empty and Ignis groans. He hasn’t even gotten out of bed and already, his legs are protesting with the idea of walking to his kitchen to make another cup. Thankfully, he’s saved from having to get up by yet another text. A tired _Noct_ falls from his lips as he picks up his phone again but it’s not Noct, it’s worse. Much worse.

_Gladiolus [1:10]: Iggy, you good? Noct just texted me_  
_Gladiolus [1:10]: said you might need some help_  
_Gladiolus [1:11]: please tell me you’ve gone to a doctor_ _  
_ Gladiolus [1:12]: He and blondie already told me that you don’t have any medicine

_Noct is simply worried. You needn’t pay him any heed. [1:13]_ _  
_ _And I recall telling you three that there was an issue with my diagnoses. [1:14]_

_Gladiolus [1:14]: you said things were complicated which could mean anything_  
_Gladiolus [1:15]: doesn’t explain why you can’t take any medicine_ _  
_ Gladiolus [1:15]: I can grab you some

_Gladio, please. I know what I’m doing. [1:15]_ _  
_ _You don’t need to visit me, lest you catch what I have. [1:16]_

Bloody hell. Ignis had no intention of acting cross with Gladio. He had hit send before realizing just how rude he sounded but all the same, he can’t risk Gladio entering his apartment. What would he say, upon seeing Ignis laying in a bed surrounding by his namesake?

_Trust me. [1:18]_

_Gladiolus [1:20]: you’re the boss, Iggy_

A text bubble appears and disappears under Gladio’s name, but no texts arrive. Ignis shuts his phone off. Of course Gladio would trust him. He’s always been too kind, too respectful of Ignis’ boundaries, unwilling to overstep. He has complete faith in Ignis and Ignis can’t imagine why.

When he coughs up yet another gladiolus flower, a dark red this time, he isn’t surprised.

Ignis pulls the blankets back over his body, and snuggles deeper into his pillow, closing his eyes. He doesn’t have the energy to deal with this right now, and he lets sleep pull him under, until it’s broken by a loud knocking at the door to his apartment in what feels like seconds later.

His clock says it’s been 2 hours. The knocking grows more insistent and Ignis’ blood freezes. What if it’s Gladio? What if his texts earlier were only a ruse? He doesn’t move until a high voice echoes from beyond the door.

“ _Ig-gy! Hey, Iggy! It’s Prompto! Can you open up the door?”_

Oh, thank the gods. Or curse them, because Prompto shouldn’t be here right now. Ignis stays silent, childishly hoping Prompto will give up and leave but no, of course he doesn’t. The knocking continues and his phone begins ringing with text notifications.

He doesn’t bother checking his appearance as he stumbles out of bed, taking a moment to steady himself on shaky legs. With one hand trailing on the wall for support, Ignis makes his way to the door.

“Prompto?” Ignis calls out, his voice rough and ragged. Lord, he sounds sixty years older.

“Yeah! That’s me! Open the door? Please? Pretty please?”

Oh, Prompto. Ignis takes a deep breath, then swings the door open to come face-to-face with Prompto, who gives a little wave. He’s bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet with a grin that’s too forced.

“Hey, Iggy,” Prompto says. “Can I come in?”

Ignis has half a mind to turn him away. To say _no, I’m fine, thank you, I don’t need your coddling, I respect that you went through the effort to come here but really, I’m okay._ Except he’s already swaying where he stands and it pains him to take even the smallest of breaths.

So Ignis steps aside, motions inwards. “Come in. Would you care for something? A spot of tea, perhaps?”

Prompto shakes his head as he goes inside, touching a tentative finger to Ignis’ bicep. “Nah. I’m good. You’re still not doing well, right? C’mon, let’s get you sitting down.” He’s guiding Ignis to his couch before Ignis realizes, his protests dying on his lips. Ignis groans as he sits down, leaning back onto a pillow. “You need some water or anything?”

Ignis wants to say no, he truly does. This is his apartment and he should be the one helping Prompto but _oh,_ it feels so good to be cared for after months of pushing himself. Prompto’s only stalling for time but if it means Ignis can finally relax, even for just a moment, he’ll allow it.

“Water would be nice. Thank you, Prompto.”

Prompto quickly busies himself in the kitchen. Ignis shuts his eyes, letting the sounds of the tap running and glass clinking lure him into a false sense of security. It’s not long before he starts coughing, however, his body hunched over as he covers his mouth, desperate to stop any petals from flying out.

He fails, naturally and either Prompto doesn’t notice or he chooses not to notice when he pushes a glass of water into Ignis’ hands. He takes it gratefully, gulping it desperately until he can finally breathe again.

“You good, Iggy?” Prompto rubs his back. “Need some more? D’you have any medicine?”

“I— I don’t,” Ignis says, massaging his throat. “No, it is not because I haven’t bought any or visited a doctor. There simply isn't any medicine for my… ailment.”

“...Right.”

Ignis sighs, the first of many. “Prompto, why did you really visit me? I appreciate your concern, truly, but I’d like you to get to the point.”

“You have the hanahaki disease.”

Ignis’ head snaps upwards to lock gazes with Prompto. Prompto stares right back, resolute and unblinking. There’s no question; he stated it like a fact. Ah. Well. Ignis _did_ ask him to get to the point after all. Still, to hear it said so brazenly and in Prompto’s matter-of-fact tone was… terrifying, to say the least.

“What? But— how did you..?” Words fail Ignis but thankfully, Prompto picks up the slack.

“Coughing for months? Sore throat and all that?” Prompto says. Ignis purses his lips and nods. “I was suspecting it and uh, coming here just proved it. There’s a flower petal on your lap, by the way.”

He points and Ignis looks downward. Sure enough, there’s a large amber petal on his leg. Ignis plucks it, rubs the petal between his fingers. It’s soft. It’s the exact shade of Gladio’s eyes.

“I… see,” Ignis says, at long last. He holds the petal delicately in his palm. He almost hates the sight of it, wants to crush it in his hands, this damned flower that’s been killing him. But it’s not any flower. It’s the symbol of his love for Gladio and he can’t bring himself to treat it with such harshness. “That’s why you came here.”

Prompto nods. “Yeah. Gladio texted me. Said you were still feeling like shit and you didn’t want anybody, especially him or Noct helping you. So I thought that I’d drop by and help?”

“...I did not want you to know either, Prompto. I tried my best to keep it hidden.”

“Kinda hard to do that when you’ve got literal flowers growing in your lungs, huh? Iggy, you don’t have to worry about hiding anything from us. We’re your friends. You’re supposed to rely on us.” Prompto sits on the couch, right next to Ignis, knocking their knees together. “I get it. It’s none of my business who you like. But I don’t wanna watch you wither away like this.”

“Gladiolus,” Ignis cuts Prompto right off. The words, like the flowers, fall out of Ignis’ mouth before he can stop it. “The flowers I’ve been coughing up. They’re gladiolus flowers.”

It’s strange, saying this aloud. Like Ignis is admitting to himself that he’s in love with Gladio all over again. Prompto’s eyes widen, just a fraction.

“Oh,” he says, breathless. “I guess that’s um, fitting.”

“Indeed.”

“That explains why you started coughing all bad when Noct said Gladio was going to the movies with a girl that one time. Man, you’ve been crushing on him for _this_ long?” Prompto says, but he immediately backtracks. “Oops, sorry. Not my business. Right.”

“No, no, it’s fine. You are right. I should have never let it get to this point.”

“Then—”

“I didn’t realize I was in love with Gladio, at first. I hadn’t realized that I wanted something more from our relationship until that day you spoke of. I believe it was that night where I began coughing up gladiolus flowers.”

“Like… _flower-flowers_ or just the petals?”

Ignis sighs. “Flowers. Fully-grown flowers.”

“ _Fuck,”_ Prompto says and Ignis can’t find it in himself to chide the boy for his language. “It’s that bad? I dunno how you’re still standing right now. Or uh, sitting up.”

“Believe me, I’d like nothing more than to pass out right now.”

Prompto shakes his head. “Only you could fall in love with someone without realizing it. But at least you know now?”

“I suppose.” Ignis takes another sip of water. It’s cool, and pleasant on his throat. Prompto truly is a saviour.

“So um, Iggy… I didn’t mean to come here to push you or anything but… have you thought about, um, telling Gladio? That you like him, I mean.”

"And what good will that do me?"

"Are you kiddin' me? Iggy, these flowers are _killing_ you. Like, if you don’t do something about them… they’re gonna… _y’know._ ”

"Telling Gladio is not the only option here."

"But you can't just—" then the realization hits Prompto. There's an awkward silence. "Oh. Right. You can get them removed. Well, so long as you know what you're doing, I'll stand right by you."

"...Thank you, Prompto," Ignis starts. He trails off, wonders if he dare say his feelings aloud. But that damned itch in the back of his throat, it’s there because Ignis has held his tongue, buried his emotions under his work and duty. Perhaps it’s time to stop that and finally start speaking. “Truthfully, I’m not quite sure if that’s what I want, either.”

Prompto leans forward.

“I treasure my relationship with Gladio as it is. It’s why I’m reluctant to confess to him in the first place. I… don’t want to lose what we have together, even if it is only our friendship.” Ignis pauses and cleans his glasses for longer than necessary. Through it all, Prompto waits patiently. When Ignis continues, his voice is quieter. “If I do undergo the surgery, I’ll forget about our relationship. We won’t be able to hide that from him. Gladio is a clever man. He’ll realize why I’ve forgotten, what I had to do and that knowledge will crush him.”

“You’ve got a point.”

“All the same, I can’t exactly just… _confess_ to him. Think of how it will affect our duty to—”

“Iggy, c’mon.” Prompto rolls his eyes. “You know Gladio better than that. He’d rather die over putting his duty over everything else. Even if his duty involves him literally dying for Noct. And Iggy, would you really prioritize anything over Noct?”

Ignis pauses for a moment. Not because he doesn’t have an answer. He’s been sworn to Noct long before he even understood what his duty entailed. He’ll never, not in any lifetime, certainly not in this one, ever put Noct second. No, he pauses because Prompto is right and he is wrong and he loathes that fact.

“I wouldn’t. Never. But what if Gladio rejects my advances? Then what, Prompto?”

“I mean, you’ll still have his friendship, at least. Then you move on from him?”

The casualness in which Prompto speaks of this has Ignis clenching his teeth. He wants to snark, to demand how _dare_ Prompto force his way into his apartment and tell him what to do under a guide of a casualness unbefitting his current dilemma. All that comes out is a terse, “I hardly think things will be as simple as that.”

“They won’t be. It’s gonna hurt if he does reject you, but you’re never gonna get rid of those feelings unless you do something about them.” Prompto appears to be immune to Ignis’ coldness, his hot determination unyielding. “If Gladio doesn’t like you back, it’s not gonna be the end of the world for you, Iggy. You can still move on.”

“ _How?”_ Ignis asks and he hates how whiny, how pathetic he sounds.

“Just need the right people by your side.”

“Like you, I suppose.”

“Huh?” Prompto blinks, taken aback. Then an easy smile makes its way across his features. “Yup. Like me. And Noct. And uh, Gladio’s always gonna be there to support you too, no matter what.”

Ignis sighs, again, for what must be the umpteenth time. “It used to be _you_ coming to _me_ for advice.”

“Yeah, well, guess even an advisor needs advice every once in a while, yeah? Think of this as repaying you for all the times you helped me sort out my shit.” Prompto stands up and stretches. “So you’ve made up your mind?”

Ignis nods. “I have.”

“Great! I’m glad. Um, sorry if I was pressuring you or anything? I didn’t mean to, you know—”

“No, no. It’s quite alright, Prompto. I daresay I needed the push.” A shudder runs through Ignis’ body as he thinks of just how long it would have taken him to approach Gladio on his own— if he would have even made the choice to do so in the first place. “Thank you.”

“No problemo. Just remember what I said before about us wanting to help you, okay?” Prompto winks. “I’ll just leave you to it.” Prompto adjusts his shirt and with a wave, turns to leave. But there’s something nagging Ignis in the back of his mind, much like the tickling in the back of his throat.

“Prompto?” Ignis says, hesitantly.

“Yeah?”

“You know a lot about this disease.”

Prompto looks away. His lips draw into a tight line and he furrows his eyebrows. He takes a moment, then exhales slowly.

“My parents. Always thought there was something wrong with me for the longest time. Nah,” Prompto gives a derisive snort. “They were just shitty people.”

The knowledge that it was Prompto’s parents that caused this isn’t much of a surprise— and that’s the terrible part in it all, Ignis supposes. “Do you still…”

“Nah. It was hard realizing that they didn’t— or never— cared about me but I moved on. Found myself a new family, yeah? No more flowers over here.” Prompto smiles and he pats Ignis on the shoulder. “Gotta run. Noct’s gonna be needing my help to cook dinner tonight and I don’t think Gladio’s willing to help. Take care of yourself, ‘kay?”

Prompto’s footsteps fade through the hall and the door clicks shut behind him. Ignis lays down on the couch, staring at the ceiling.

Once he gets better, he’ll have to thank Prompto properly. For now, though, he’s something important to do, something long overdue.

With the gladiolus flower in one hand and his phone in the other, Ignis sends out a text.

* * *

 

By the next day, Ignis’ apartment is spotless. Or rather, as spotless as he can make it. The flowers are swept into the garbage— out of sight, out of mind? —and all the bloodstains are cleaned. Gladio doesn’t need to see them when he arrives. At noon, sharp, Ignis told him. Come to my apartment, I need to talk to you.

His efforts bear no fruit in the end. In the time that he’s waiting for Gladio, Ignis coughs up four more flowers and countless petals. His handkerchief, fresh out of the washer, is stained red with blood. So be it, then.

A knock comes at his door ten minutes before noon, leaving him to time to hide the flowers. Strong, steady, there’s only one person it could come from. Ignis’ heart jumps in his chest. It’s starting to feel strange again— but he knows it’s not because of the disease, this time. He’s familiar with what that feels like.

He’s nervous. And still, Ignis stands and opens the door to greet Gladio without hesitating any longer, else he’ll lose his resolve. For a moment, they just stand there.

Gladio’s dressed casually, wearing an actual shirt for once. His brows are knitted together in worry as he looks Ignis over, with none of the admiration that he usually does. “ _Fuck,_ Iggy. No offense, but you look like hell. C’mon, you need to sit down.”

“Hello to you too, Gladio.” Once again, Ignis lets himself get led back into his apartment, to the couch. There are some stray petals on the ground that he missed, yet Gladio ignores them.

“You sound like hell, too. Need a drink? I can make you some tea if you’d like.”

“No, that won’t be necessary,” Ignis says quickly. He can’t stall, not any longer. “Please, sit down Gladio, I have… something to tell you.”

“You sure?” Gladio says. Ignis nods and he sits down next to Ignis, a hand on his bicep for comfort? To steady him? He doesn’t know and he won’t guess. “Okay, fine. I’m listening.”

Ignis licks his lips. They’re dry and perhaps he should have asked Gladio for a glass of water. It’s too late now. “Gladio, I… I want to apologize first, for not telling you sooner, but…” Ignis trails off and buries his face in his hands. “Forgive me. This is uncharacteristic of me.”

“Hey, take your time.” Gladio shrugs. “Prompto set you up for this, didn’t he? When he came over to your place yesterday.”

“Well, yes, he helped, however… there was something else that made me do it.” It’s now or never, Ignis supposes. No use kicking the can down the road. He takes a deep breath. “Gladio, I have the hanahaki disease.”

“The hanahaki disease..? You mean—” Gladio turns his body so that he’s fully facing Ignis. His grip on Ignis’ arm grows tighter. “The coughing, your sickness… it’s ‘cause you’ve been growing flowers inside your lungs? For this long?”

Gladio is not a person who is startled easily. It comes with his training, after all. Ignis has never seen him ‘lose his cool’, so to say, not when he got that horrid scar across his eye, not through Cor’s arduous training sessions, not when Noct was in danger (which is far more often than he and Ignis prefer).

And right now, Gladio’s free hand is balled to a fist, shaking, and when Ignis forces himself to stare him in the eyes, there’s nothing but fear and worry there.

“...Yes. I did not realize I had the disease until just a short while ago.”

“ _Fuck._ And you calling in sick— that’s ‘cause of the disease too? Is it that bad?”

“I’ve been coughing up fully-grown flowers,” Ignis admits quietly.

“Fuck,” Gladio swears again, voice trembling. “Fuckin’ hell. This is just— god, I can’t even begin to imagine what hell you’ve been dealing with. Did you tell the person? The person you’re…” Gladio falters. “...in love with?”

“No. I have yet to.”

“Iggy, the hell? Why not?” Gladio raises his voice and Ignis merely shakes his head.

“I did not tell them,” Ignis begins, as he gently pulls Gladio’s hand off his shoulder. “Because I am a close friend of theirs and I was afraid to ruin what we already had together.”

“If they were really a good friend of yours, they’d understand,” Gladio assures and Ignis chuckles under his breath. Oh, this is the man he _had_ to fall in love with. This beautiful, loyal, selfless and (admittedly) oblivious man.

“I hope that they will.” Ignis reaches over, to his desk beside his couch, taking hold of a flower he hadn't the heart to throw away. Wordlessly, he holds it towards Gladio, who takes it, looking at Ignis, then the flower in confusion.

“Is this the flower that’s been growing… in…” Gladio’s voice falls into a whisper and then he’s run speechless as he surveys the flower. Ignis knows the exact moment of realization, sees it as Gladio’s eyes widen and he sits straight up, his breath escaping through a gasp. “These are gladiolus flowers.”

“Yes. They are.” Ignis is surprised by how even he’s managing to keep his voice.

“You mean that— the person you love… it’s…”

“Yes.”

Gladio’s mouth hangs open (and how he manages to make such a foolish look so endearing is beyond Ignis) as he stares. He cradles the flower delicately in his palm. Ignis can’t read his expression— pity? Sadness? Surprise? —and he’s ready to apologize when Gladio sets the flower aside and grabs Ignis’ hand, holding it between his own.

His hands are so much bigger, rough and covered in calloules, yet so delicate at the same time.

“Since… since when?” Gladio croaks.

“I’m… not quite sure. For as long as I can remember, it’s been you. It’s always been you.”

Ignis stares down, at where their hands are entwined, memorizing each line, each curve of Gladio’s hands. They’re warm and Ignis wants to feel them all over his body, along his skin, pulling him closer to Gladio.

“Fuck,” Gladio says again. “You’re… you’re really into me. This is real. Fuck. _Fuck,_ this wasn’t— I didn’t mean for it to be like this, it was supposed to be… ah, fuck.”

“Gladio, if you don’t return my feelings, you need only say so.” And, in fact, if he would say so sooner rather than later, it would do wonders for Ignis’ psyche. His heart pounds in his chest and he’s never been one for ambiguity. He needs to hear an answer.

“What? Iggy, no— no, don’t say that. What I meant to say was… I thought I’d be the one confessing to _you_ first. I had this whole romantic scene in mind and then…”

Ignis inhales sharply. “Gladio, wait. Confess? What do you mean by that?”

Gladio smiles, his eyes twin pools of honey as he looks at Ignis with what he can’t describe as anything else but adoration. “I’ve been in love with you, too. For the longest time. I was waiting for the right moment to tell you, but…”

“But— you… and what of all the previous relationships you’ve had before?”

“Don’t get me wrong, I liked the people I dated in the past but there was always something missing. Never understood why my duty was so important to me or never knew about any of the books I read. Took me a while to just realize that I couldn’t connect with them because they weren’t _you._ ”

Ignis bites his lip. His heart rises faintly with hope, but he wills it down. “Gladio, please. If you’re feeling pity for me because of the disease, you don’t need to—”

“Pity?” Gladio snorts. “Iggy, I’d never insult you like that. If I didn’t like you at all, I’d tell you. I’m in love with you, Iggy.” Gladio pauses, then slowly, _slowly,_ brings Ignis’ hand up to his lips, pressing a kiss to the back of his hand. “Trust me.”

_Trust me._ It’s unfair, really, the way he throws those words back at Ignis. But it’s enough for Ignis to completely throw away all semblances of self-control as he all but leaps into Gladio’s arms because he trusts Gladio. With his body, his heart, everything that he has. Ignis crushes his lips to Gladio’s with a humiliating sort of desperation. Gladio, however, responds with just as much fervor, wiping any remaining traces of fear from Ignis’ mind.

He wants this. He wants this as much as Ignis does.

“I love you, Gladio,” Ignis whispers against Gladio’s lips and he wants to say more, he _needs_ to tell Gladio just how much he means to him, but Gladio’s kissing him again, slow and open-mouthed, telling him that he knows already.

Ignis presses his own body against Gladio’s, craving his touch, _needing_ to feel as much of his body as possible, all chiseled muscles and sculpted curves. He runs his hands along Gladio’s chest while Gladio pulls Ignis closer by his waist and oh, if only Ignis could spend an eternity here, wrapped in Gladio’s arms.

They break apart for air and Gladio is wearing that stupid, cocky smile of his as he says, “Man, if I knew this was what I was missing out on, I would have said something a lot sooner.”

“I wish that you had,” Ignis grumbles. “It certainly would have saved me some trouble.”

“Iggy, I’m sorry—” Gladio begins to say, concern lacing his features and Ignis simply rolls his eyes, and kisses Gladio again. He moans when Ignis traces his bottom lip with his tongue, parting his mouth to let him in.

“Don’t apologize,” Ignis says between kisses. “I’ll hear none of it. I was just as silent as you were on this matter.”

“Guess we’re both fools then, huh?”

“Indeed.” Ignis has no time to draw in a breath before Gladio’s back to capturing his lips with his own, stealing it away. His skin is flushed and he’s panting with want, but he’s laughing. There’s no pain coming from the back of his throat and Gladio’s pressing his forehead against Ignis’, laughing as well.

His chest no longer hurts— it’s feeling lighter than it has been in months.

* * *

 

It’s been too long since they had a get-together, Prompto decides.

He’s prepping the TV for a movie, while Noct’s tapping away on his phone and Ignis and Gladio are chilling on a sofa adjacent to him. Gladio’s got one arm wrapped around Ignis, the other holding hands with him. Ignis is resting his head against Gladio’s chest and he’s practically glowing.

Man, Prompto hasn’t seen him this healthy in months. His skin’s lost its ghostly paleness and his eyes are a lot brighter. His hair and clothes are back to looking prim and perfect, compared to the wrinkled mess Prompto saw him in earlier.

He must have been staring for a little too long, though, ‘cause Gladio catches his eye and smirks.

“See something you like, blondie? Or are you just jealous?”

Ignis scoffs and Noct gags, miming himself vomiting onto the ground.

“Shut up, princess.” Gladio throws a pillow at Noct’s head. It hits him, square-on, and he’d probably throw it back at Gladio if Ignis weren’t so close.

“Gladio, please,” Ignis says.

“C’mon, babe. He deserved it.” Gladio pecks Ignis on the forehead, then meets his lips for a brief kiss. It lasted only a second, and Ignis is smiling when they break apart, but it’s enough to send Noct gagging again.

“You guys are gross.”

“If it bothers you that much, Highness,” Ignis says, ever the diplomat. “We will stop.” Gladio’s hand squeeze Ignis’ hip a little tighter and he corrects himself. “Or rather, ah, minimize it to the best of our ability.”

Noct makes those squinty-eyes at Ignis, then Gladio. He eventually huffs, throwing himself down on the sofa and going back to his phone. “Nah. Whatever. You guys keep doing whatever you want. Just as long as you don’t interrupt the movie. Prom, is everything ready yet?”

Typical Noct. He’s grumbling under his breath, but even Prompto’s catching Noct smiling whenever he looks at Iggy and Gladio. He can’t blame him. It’s been so long since he saw them both so happy.

Prompto leaps up and grins. “You betcha!”

**Author's Note:**

> _(bonus: scrapped scene from original draft where Ignis was still feeling under the weather, so Gladio puts him into bed and tries to leave. Ignis, though, isn't having any of it and asks Gladio, "Stay with me? Please? Until I fall asleep at the very least._   
>  _"Yeah, of course." Gladio obliges, naturally, and lays next to Ignis. "And I'll be there when you wake, too.")_
> 
> (and my bias for prompto jumped out,,,, oops??)
> 
> Wanna give two shoutouts: the first of which is to everyone who commented / gave kudos on the original! Without those comments, I would have never written this sequel because a) i had no idea i left the first on a cliffhanger i thought that was a normal ending oOOPS and b) ah!!! those comments + kudos gave me so much motivation to give you guys the happy ending you (and Gladnis) deserve! ♡♡
> 
> Second shoutout would be to my friend, since originally, there was uh. going to be a lot more Sad (including the ending? :3c),, so yeah, shoutout to them for beating me with a stick every time I 'accidentally' wrote more sad. 
> 
> .....yeah, i got beat a lot. love you too, fam ♡ Send them your thanks for the comfort and thank you again for reading ♡♡♡


End file.
